In the News

On January 18th, the London startup community came together at the 2016 MassChallenge Awards and Fun(d)raiser, sponsored by Swiss Re. Taking centre stage, was Dan Ryan, Head of Digital Catalysts and MD at Swiss Re, who delivered an inspirational speech to a crowd of entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and more.

Passion was at the centre of Dan’s presentation. He told the motivating story of Switzerland’s first president, Alfred Escher, whose image was proudly displayed on screens around the venue.

Two of my siblings were diagnosed with ADHD by my own father, who is a neurologist that specializes in ADHD. And when it was time for treatment, the therapy that they got was ADHD medication. So I have seen firsthand the side effects of these medications-- headaches, lack of sleep, loss of appetite and so on. At a certain point, I just decided that it’s about time to change this. I decided to find an alternative to these medication therapies.

I remember talking with an entrepreneur who came through the accelerator I was involved with previously. Of all the things that this entrepreneur remembered and valued from his time at our accelerator, it was that when he was feeling down or stressed, I would be there with some encouraging words and, crucially, a hug.

This is by far and away the best chance to meet our startups. The first half of the day will be Startup Showcase, an exposition-style presentation by each of our entrepeneuers, so everyone who attends will be able to walk up and speak with the founders about their innovations. They’re eager to present to the London community, and you should be just as excited to meet them!

Realizing that we had been selected as a final 26 team was unbelievably rewarding. It really gave us the feeling of satisfaction, but also while it was a great reward after a summer of hard work, it wasn’t long before we realized we had to get right back to putting our heads down with work and continuing to accelerate down the path to achieving our lofty goals! - Dean Travers, Luminopia